Citadel
by Lee Isidor
Summary: FOR TYKAN WEEK. The instant the Noah showed up, his citadel was in jeapordy. TyKan


**LEE ISIDOR: **YEAH. ME.

**13. **This is a lot darker than the one from yesterday and the TyKan isn't quite as strong. You kind of have to read between the lines to get it. c:

**13. **Update! My sissy stood up today! She's gotten a lot better, and I know I've been super bad about keeping everyone updated, but yeah. It wasn't by herself; they had the physical therapist help her, but she stood up _twice_. I don't know how to tell ya'll how good that is. :D But it is. SUPER. BUENO.

**13. **Citadel:sit-uh-dl, -uh-del] –noun 1. A fortress that commands a city and is used in the control of the inhabitants and in defense during attack or siege. 2. Any strongly fortified place; stronghold.

**13. **This one is in the DGM-verse, and it's a little darker than what I usually write. Hope you like it. ;D

**13. **YEAH. HAPPY TYKAN WEEK. :D

_**Disclaimer:**_** I do not own DGM. I don't want to. I never will. Neither will you. Get over it, darlings.**

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Citadel**

The Black Order was like his citadel, his fortress, his place to rest and regroup and then return to battle.

It wasn't quite such a safe haven when the enemy could invade it on their whim, as he had discovered during the Akuma invasion. With the egg and the Noah, and the level four. It had been then that the walls of the citadel that he held in such high esteem began to crack. It hadn't made much of a difference when they moved bases, especially since there was nowhere he could go to get away from the Noah of Pleasure.

Tyki Mikk seemed to like breaking the security blanket he found in the Black Order. His room at night wasn't safe, nor was any mission he was sent on. The Noah liked to show up, as randomly as possible. It was never on the same day two weeks in a row, and it was never an explainable amount of time. Kanda felt like the older man was trying to drive him crazy wondering when he would next show up. Was he going to be there after dinner? Would he somehow make it after his mission? Would he be on the train? Nothing was safe, nowhere he could turn made him feel as comfortable as the citadel his mind had made of the Black Order had.

Kanda sighed heavily, taking Mugen off of his belt. The sword's comfortable weight, his partner, was starting to make his hip hurt. It had been there all day and most of the night before while he had been traveling. But now, he reasoned, he was at least somewhat safe in the walls of the Black Order. He could relax for a little bit.

A little bit turned into a minute, then two, then five. Before he knew it, he was nodding off, dark eyes stinging with tiredness. He felt like he had been awake forever.

"Akuma! Exorcists, please report to the front gate!" a voice yelled, frantic, over the loudspeaker. It wasn't as loud in his room, but it was definitely booming in the hallways. Grabbing Mugen, he dashed to the door and down the hall.

"Yuu! What's going on?" Lavi questioned as they ran. Somehow the redhead had met him at the end of the hall and they were sprinting together. It paid off to be in good shape, he mused. He was hardly even breathing heavy as they clomped down the stairs.

"Don't know," he said roughly. The jab at his first name he could ignore, if only for the moment. He would kill the redhead for it later. "I was sleeping."

Lavi's lips curved into a sly smile. "You _sleep_?"

"Fuck you," Kanda said shortly. They didn't have time to waste their breath, and he always _was_ one to mince words.

Together they stopped at the front gate, and a scene of destruction met their eyes. Lenalee, in the air with her crystal boots or whatever the fuck they were, was flipping over the tops of the Akuma like they were stepping stones. Allen, who was thankfully present, was destroying enemies just as skillfully with his ridiculous Clown Belt or whatever the fuck _that _was.

Before he knew what was going on, there was an enormous explosion and a cacophony of screams. In the wake of the dust stood two Noah, two of his least favorite. Tyki Mikk, the only Noah he hated more than the Akuma themselves, and the other one – he didn't know her name. It didn't really matter.

"Ah, look who we have here," the older Noah said, cocking his head to the side. "Kanda. I haven't seen _you _in a while."

The citadel seemed to crumble around him. A few of his fellow exorcists turned to gape at him. Fuck them – he was not _consorting _with the enemy or anything like it. "Fuck you," Kanda snarled, brandishing his weapon. There were glances of relief all around. What – did they _really _think he would be on friendly terms with a Noah?

"Now, now," Tyki said softly, appearing in front of him as quickly as a bolt of lightening. If only the Noah acted like lightening too. One quick flash and gone – that would solve a lot of his problems. "I would tell you I already have, but I'm sure you know that already."

The Noah's face broke into a leering smile. It split his face, exposing a long stretch of jagged teeth. "You have _no _idea how hard it is not to kill you, Kan-da," he said softly, reaching up a hand to caress the long-haired exorcist's cheek.

"Augh! Don't touch me!" Kanda yelled, supremely frustrated. His innocence, activated and glowing, took a deadly strike at the older man. His enemy jumped back with a disappointed expression, the smile flickering for only a second.

A bullet whizzed through the Noah, straight towards him. Kanda deflected it with Mugen, but in that instant, a variety of Akuma surged forward. It was overwhelming. There were more of them than the exorcists could cut down; the Noah _had _to know that. They were just taunting him, like _always_ –

"Yuu! _Watch out_!" Lavi's voice, shriller than usual, pierced through his self-induced stupor.

His connection with Mugen flickered for a second before it was broken altogether. The sword was wrenched from his grasp and flung to the side by a large Akuma with oddly humanoid form. It spun through the air, and his eyes followed his partner's movement even as he was knocked to the ground, falling on his side. The force of the push was hard enough for him to hear a distinct crack.

"_Augh_!" Kanda shouted, supremely frustrated. His hands immediately went to his side, where he felt something warm and sharp poking out of his side. A rib. At least it hadn't pierced his lung. That usually took forever to heal. "Fucking stupid Akuma!"

"What a nice bone you have there, boy," Tyki observed, suddenly in front of him. There was an easy smile on his lips, as though they had just met on the street or at a coffee shop – not in the middle of a fucking _battle_. "Do you need some help to get it out?"

The Level Fours, two of them, made a ring around him and Tyki both. The other Noah, whoever it was, joined it, a sick smile on his face. "There's a lot of blood. Is he gonna make it?" he asked, sounding merely curious.

"Of course. You remember _Alma's Karma_…" Tyki murmured the words with the gentleness of a lover, and the long-haired man leaned to spit out the blood in his mouth.

"Hah! Alma's Karma, what a joke!" the other Noah said heartily, turning back to the battle. Allen, Lenalee, and Lavi were looking at him, expressions distraught. It wasn't like they could help. They had their own battles to worry about. Even though it probably wasn't fair for him to have to deal with two Noah _and _two Level Fours by himself.

"I'll make a deal with you, boy," the brunette said finally, kneeling down next to him. Mugen had spun just out of his reach, and glaring at it was definitely not bringing his sword back. "Are you listening?"

Kanda hissed as the older man grabbed a handful of his hair, jerking his head around. "Fuck you, fucking Noah _bastard_!" he snapped, teeth clenched. A dribble of salty red blood was trailing down his chin, and the Noah wiped it off with a fond expression.

"I'll tell you what. If you can land a hit on me in ten minutes, I'll call back my Akuma and leave you on your merry way. How does that sound?" Tyki smiled lazily, a cool confidence in his golden eyes.

"The fucking _catch_," Kanda said hoarsely. His voice didn't come out as strong as he had wanted it to. There was probably damn blood in his vocal chords. "What's the fucking _catch_?"

"Oh, darling," his enemy sighed dramatically. "So little faith?"

"Fuck you and just tell me the catch!" Kanda growled. His rib was starting to hurt less, but it still hurt like a bitch. The bone was retreating back into his body, and suddenly there was a dull ache between his dark eyes.

"I already have what _I _want from you," the Noah explained, a harrowing smile on his lips. "And you know it." The words made him flush with anger and humiliation. The anger was justifiable, and the embarrassment even more so. "So, what do you say? Or would you rather let me kill your precious Order?"

"If I don't win?" the exorcist pressed, eyes sliding towards his Mugen again. The innocence was just in reach if he caught them by surprise and lunged for it. It wasn't a very smart idea, but he could still try.

"You'll be coming with me for a bit," Tyki said, eyes dipping rather suggestively over his body. "But I will, eventually, return you…"

Kanda weighed his options, not that he really had any. They were going to lose if he didn't take the fucking stupid deal. His ribs had stilled to a dull ache, and the wound was slowly, slowly closing. He could do it. _He could do it_. Gritting his teeth, the long-haired exorcist pushed himself to standing and walked carefully over to his weapon. Leaning down proved to be a challenge, but he straightened up finally, ready to face the enemy Noah at his side.

"Ready to go, darling?" Tyki murmured, lips close to his ear.

"Fucking die, Noah!" the long-haired exorcist yelled, whipping his Mugen around and activating the weapon simultaneously. The Noah obviously hadn't been expecting such a comeback. He jumped out of the way, an amused smile on his lips.

"Come and get me, then," the other taunted, stepping back and running a hand through his curls. When they were pushed back, he could distinctly see the cross-shaped stigmata and the characteristic grey skin. "Well? I'm waiting."

For five minutes, they were locked, as though dancing, in a pattern of slashing and dodging and movement. He was pushing his body to the limit; the Lotus was burning an angry path on his chest. His healing rib still ached. It didn't slow his movements, though. For some reason, he felt faster than usual. The Noah's smirk was steadily disappearing as well. Obviously he was doing better than he thought. His muscles strained, and the burn was almost unbearable. How much time did he even have left?

His eyes were slightly unfocused. The Noah was just in his site, just _there_, but the task of trying to attack him was slightly mindless. Slash right, dodge left, stab forward, jump. He didn't' really have to think all too hard to fight.

With a final, angry yell, Kanda drew Mugen with such a force that the Noah jumped back, a look of surprise on his face. There, just below his left eye, spread a tiny cut. Small as it was, it dripped a solid drop of blood, and Tyki's smile split his face.

"Good job, darling," he drawled, taking a step back. He raised his fingers to touch the cut almost disbelievingly. "I didn't expect you to make it. I guess there's always next time."

In a whirlwind of color and sound, the Noah and Akuma were drawn away, away from the Black Order's new gate. The citadel was saved. Kanda let out a deep breath and fell to his knees. The adrenaline rush left him like water running over his body, and suddenly his muscles felt weak and shaky.

"Yuu! Are you okay?!" Lavi yelled, and the worry was apparent in his voice. "The Noah, where are they?"

"Gone," he said quietly, too quietly for anyone to hear. "_Gone_."

His citadel would never be that safe haven again, though.

The Black Order's security was _gone _too.

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REVIEW. I LIKE IT. :D


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